LarryLizard- Oops, it is a Lion King reference!
Lunasaphira- Just time that I can scrounge sometimes. Lol.
Rain- It isn't that simple, trust me. Here's a hint: What are some types of storms?
Dappled moonlight wafted down onto thick oak leaves. The bark of an ancient beast glittered with a recent frost.
Silverpaw silently creeped out of the dirt-place tunnel, leaping over the sloping mound of ravine wall. His greenleaf thin pelt did little to block out the whispering leaf-fall breeze, but Silverpaw knew that it would soon thicken out to match the cold of leafbare.
He waved his tail and burrowed through the undergrowth, wincing as his fur caught on the thorns. The other apprentices slunk through the shrub as smooth as a fish in water. But Silverpaw's pelt constantly snagged in the brambles. One more part of SkyClan, I guess.
Cinderpaw was sitting alone in the clearing, ginger pelt gleaming with moonlight. Silverpaw ducked his head and raced down into the hollow.
"Hello Cinderpaw. Where's Dawnpaw?" Silverpaw padded a tight circle around his stooping friend. When Cinderpaw didn't respond, Silverpaw stopped and looked at him. "Are you alright?"
Cinderpaw blinked. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't come. I ran into Dawnpaw earlier; she said that she couldn't make it." Silverpaw plopped down. "I couldn't get out earlier, sorry." He stared carefully into Cinderpaw's luminous eyes. "Are you okay?" Silverpaw repeated again, hunching over awkwardly to force Cinderpaw to look at him.
Cinderpaw slowly turned his eyes up. "I-I'm fine." The yellowish ginger tabby tom insisted weakly. Silverpaw raised an eyebrow doubtfully. "You aren't. What's the matter?" Cinderpaw sighed and shook his head.
"My mother, Tigerflame- she disappeared." The WindClan apprentice mewed painfully.
Silverpaw felt shock seeping through his veins. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know. What happened?"
Cinderpaw gazed dejectedly at the stars. "She went out for a hunting patrol and she just-left. We tracked her scent to- to-"Cinderpaw hung his head and let out a shuddering breath.
"To the gorge."
Silverpaw rested the tip of his tail on Cinderpaw's shoulder. "You can't possibly mean-" Cinderpaw closed his eyes. "That's what most of my clan thinks." The ginger tom straightened up and jutted his chin out. "I don't believe it. We didn't find her body, and I won't believe what anycat says until the day we do." Silverpaw noticed the sharpness of defiance in his figure.
"Did she say anything before she went out?" Cinderpaw's paws shifted in uncertainty.
"Yes, but it made no sense at the time. I wanted to go with her, but Tigerflame told me that she had to do it alone, and that she would see me again." Silverpaw nudged the tom with his nose.
"Do you have any other kin?" Cinderpaw shook his head. "I'm an only kit. And no one knows who my father is. The other cats used to call me kittypet." Cinderpaw tilted his head. "But I proved them wrong."
"You'll find her." Silverpaw promised, though in his heart, he wasn't so sure. Cinderpaw sighed.
"I'm sorry; could I have some time on my own? You can return to your camp." Silverpaw nodded. "Of course."
He got up to leave and shot one last look at his friend. "But remember, Cinderpaw, don't give up hope. Your mother loves you, and she would never leave you unless she absolutely had to." Silverpaw felt a guilty twinge of jealousy. It was blatantly obvious that Cinderpaw and his mother were very close; Silverpaw couldn't say the same for him and Redtalon.
Tipping his head up to see the glowing stars, Silverpaw made a silent vow, a vow he knew he would keep.
I will make you proud.
Slipping back into camp, Silverpaw quietly trudged into the apprentice's den, cautiously avoiding trailing tails. It was just after moonhigh, so he'd be able to get some sleep before training in the morning.
Silverpaw rested his head on his paws and closed his eyes, drifting away into the land of dreams.
…
Silverpaw opened his eyes to find himself in a den. But it clearly was not the apprentice's den, for the light scent of milk wafted up his nose.
The pleasant smell was surprising to Silverpaw, as he could hear the distinct caterwauls of battle outside the brambles.
A small black tom stood cowering at the back of the nursery. The dark ginger tom, eyes flashing with hate, blocked his only exit from. This cat was young, muscles rippling, and his white teeth gleamed in the darkness.
"P-please don't hurt me!" The little black kit squeaked in terror. The tom laughed, a cold, hard sound lacking the slightest trace of amusement.
"Don't worry, kit, I won't hurt you." The tom emphasized on the word hurt, drawling it out.
At this point, the tabby turned, and Silverpaw gasped as he got a better look at his face.
The dark ginger cat's muzzle was shrouded in hazy mist, but two glowing yellow orbs made it clear who it was.
Redtalon.
His father.
Redtalon raised a mighty paw and swung at the kit with unsheathed claws. The kit shrieked as the powerful warrior ripped him from head to tail. He convulsed on the ground, blood spilling out of his belly in crimson rivulets. Silverpaw squeezed his eyes shut, but could still see the unfolding scene through his eyelids.
Redtalon strode forward with an eerie emptiness in his eyes.
"Goodnight."
And then he struck.
"Screechkit!" A beautiful dark grey she-cat threw herself over the prone shape.
Redtalon hit her instead.
A sickening squelching sound.
Not even the best of medicine cats could heal a wound like this.
Redtalon's eyes were bright with horror, his mouth agape.
"No. No. No. No, this isn't real." Redtalon's voice shook. The dark ginger tom slowly backed out of the den, leaving smears of red where his blood-soaked claws dragged along the earth. Silverpaw 's heart wrenched as he saw the tiny black kit crawl over to the grey she-cat. She whispered a few words into his ear, and then fell limp.
"This is-it's a dream. It must be a dream." Redtalon unsheathed his claws and dug them into his own leg, ripping and tearing until the limb was a mutilated mess. Silverpaw fought the bile rising in his throat.
A pale tabby tom leaped out of the battle and rushed to Redtalon's shivering shape. His ice blue eyes glinted.
"Stop!"
Silverpaw gasped in shock.
It was him.
But it wasn't.
This cat was larger, tall like Amberclaw. His shoulders were battle-scarred, and his frame was lean and tough.
All the same, to Silverpaw, it was like looking at his reflection.
An older version of himself.
"Stop!"
Silverpaw jolted up, almost falling out of his nest. Rainpaw was scowling at him, eyes twitching in annoyance.
"For StarClan's sake, stop yowling! Can't a cat get some sleep?"
Silverpaw meowed a muffled apology and got out of the den. Redtalon was padding out of the warrior's den, tilting his head up toward the predawn grey expanse that was the sky.
Silverpaw narrowed his eye. Murderer. But he quickly left the thought. It hadn't been real, had it? He couldn't bring himself to think that Redtalon would attempt to kill a kit.
But no matter how hard he tried to convince himself, Silverpaw knew that he would never look at his father the same way again.
Hailbreeze was already standing by the fresh-kill pile. Seeing his apprentice, he walked toward Silverpaw.
"They're late." Hailbreeze remarked critically. Silverpaw pricked his ears. "Who?"
Hailbreeze gestured to the warrior's den. "My new trainees. Sparrowcloud, Seedpelt, and Meadowstream." Silverpaw stared at his mentor in surprise. "All she-cats?"
Hailbreeze nodded. "We have to start off fresh. Let's head to the training hollow."
"We aren't going to wait for them?" Silverpaw asked as he followed his mentor. "No."
As the reached the sand covered clearing, Hailbreeze turned and flicked his tail to the trees. "I'm going to use you to see their battle skills. Consider this practice for an assessment." Silverpaw dipped his head and jumped into a tree with outstretched branches.
"When I signal, I want you to ambush them. Try your best against a cat more experienced than you. I'd expect you to do pretty well."
"Alright." He watched the light of the sun begin the filter through the leaves.
After a few more heartbeats, the crunch of leaves underfoot shook Silverpaw's focus. He crouched down and prepared to spring.
Sparrowcloud's white and golden shape emerged through the undergrowth, quickly followed by Seedpelt's dappled grey.
"I still don't understand why Sleetstar says we still have to train. We're warriors; it's mousebrained." Seedpelt scoffed. Sparrowcloud turned to her sharply. "Watch it. That's my father you're talking about."
The two she-cats reached the clearing and stopped in front of Hailbreeze. The sooty grey tom was sitting motionlessly, and made no sign that he had seen them.
"Hello?" Seedpelt cocked her head. Sparrowcloud stared at the sooty grey tom with traces of disapproval in her eyes.
"Oh look, we have to wake up so early, and he isn't even awake!" Seedpelt scoffed and Sparrowcloud hissed, bumping her roughly with a shoulder.
Then, slowly, Hailbreeze kinked his tail over his back. Silverpaw shot out of the tree and leapt down onto Seedpelt's back. The flecked grey she-cat yelped in surprise, twisting under him. With a deft blow, Silverpaw batted at her nose and whipped around to meet Sparrowcloud's strikes.
Seedpelt yowled and dug her claws into Silverpaw's shoulders. Her blue eyes lit up in confusion. "You? You?"
"It's me!" Silverpaw grinned and shoved her with as much force as he could muster. She fell flat on her face.
Silverpaw barely had time to react before Sparrowcloud slammed into him. She ducked under his blows and retaliated with her own. Silverpaw struggled to keep up with her speed, wobbling as he balanced on his hind paws and tried to push her backward. Sparrowcloud delivered a sharp kick to Silverpaw's muzzle and sent him reeling. Silverpaw stumbled back and shook the ringing from his ears.
Meadowstream hurried into the clearing."Sorry I'm late. I-" She cocked her head. "What are you doing?"
"That's enough." Hailbreeze's eyes were unimpressed. Sparrowcloud let Silverpaw up. Embarrassed, he shook out his fur.
"What was that all about! You should at least make us aware if you're going to do battle training." Seedpelt exclaimed, lashing her tail. Hailbreeze stared at her with flint like eyes.
"You are to obey my orders. The training you received before is nothing compared to what you are going to experience now, brats. If you are simply too weak to endure this, just go tell Sleetstar, and I'm sure he'll be happy to let you change, should I say, 'mentors'," Hailbreeze scanned the three she-cats, eyes narrowed. Seedpelt held her head high, while Sparrowcloud was focused intently on Hailbreeze. Meadowstream seemed vaguely disgruntled.
Silverpaw sprang to stand by his mentor, copying his rigid stance and narrowing his eyes.
"You three will run to Sunningrocks and back," Hailbreeze instructed in a toneless mew. Seedpelt opened her mouth to protest, but Sparrowcloud slapped her tail over the grey she-cat's mouth. "Come on guys, let's just go." The gold and white she-cat urged, shooing the younger two away. With a slightly angry glance back at Hailbreeze, Sparrowcloud turned and bounded away.
Silverpaw stifled a purr. This was the exact way Hailbreeze had trained him. Not by just teaching him and encouraging, but by putting him down until Silverpaw hated him. By pushing Silverpaw to and beyond his limits.
"I'm not done with you yet," Hailbreeze's whiskers twitched. "I want you to catch some prey before they get back." Silverpaw sat back on his haunches. Hailbreeze dusted the dirt from his fur. "Your training cannot be hampered by other things. You do want to impress them, right?" Silverpaw nodded and trotted off.
He decided that he wanted to hunt by Sunningrocks, for two reasons. One was that prey was abundant in the cracks between boulders. Two was that Silverpaw was interested in seeing what the she-cats were up to.
Silverpaw bounded into a tree and launched himself to the next, and the next, and the next. This way of travel was much faster than him fighting the undergrowth. He recalled the events of the previous night with a furrowed brow. Cinderpaw didn't know who his father was. At least he did, but Redtalon wasn't exactly the perfect example of what one should be. Bitterly, he tried to pry his mind from the dark, swirling thoughts that clouded his brain.
One thought led to another, and the next thing he knew, Silverpaw was thinking deeply about the dream. It had seemed so… real. Every tabby stripe on Redtalon's forehead had perfectly matched.
And that silver cat.
Who was he?
Silverpaw could not get the image away from his mind.
The pale tabby tom, muscles rippling under his pelt, ice blue eyes identical to his own.
Even the small black kit seemed familiar, though Silverpaw could not quite place whom the tom kit had reminded him of.
Before he knew it, the edge of the brush was appearing, and Silverpaw jumped down, sand spraying his paws.
The muffled squeak of a mouse sounded close to him. Silverpaw stepped lightly and followed the noise to a fallen log. He slammed the peeling bark with his paw and several mice ran out. Silverpaw quickly slapped a paw down on one's back, breaking its thin spine. Swift as an adder, he ducked his head down and nipped another's neck.
He scanned the area for any sign of the she-cats.
There was a crunching in the undergrowth, and Sparrowcloud darted out, quickly followed by Seedpelt and Meadowstream.
"I still don't get why we have to do this. It's pointless. I mean, come on, what good will it do for that cat to run us to the bone?" Seedpelt hissed, lashing her tail. Meadowstream was focusing on breathing, panting with her head down. Sparrowcloud touched her gently with her tail.
"Take a breath every three steps you go. It makes it a lot easier," She advised. The tortoiseshell and white she cat dipped her head gratefully.
"Come on, let's get this over with," Sparrowcloud whipped around and sprinted back into the bushes. Meadowstream took a breath and dashed after her. Seedpelt rolled her eyes and followed.
Silverpaw scooped up his mice by their tails and continued, jumping up onto the log and into the tree.
It didn't take long to arrive back at the hollow. By the looks of it, Silverpaw had beaten the three she-cats, and he congratulated himself quietly.
Hailbreeze mewed without turning around. "Put your prey neatly into a pile, and pretend that you've gotten back for a while." Silverpaw blinked and dusted the mice off, arranging them on the ground. He stood beside his mentor once again.
And just in time, too. Seedpelt burst from the shrub and sat back, flanks heaving. Silverpaw's whiskers twitched in surprise. Sparrowcloud had started before the grey spotted she-cat, so why wasn't she here now?
In answer to his question, Sparrowcloud's gold-patched head emerged from the undergrowth. Meadowstream was leaning on her, paw tucked awkwardly to her chest. Meadowstream lay down, wincing in pain as her paw struck the ground. Sparrowcloud advanced angrily on Seedpelt.
"She was right behind you. Why didn't you help?" The gold and white she-cat snarled. Seedpelt's hackles rose.
"Why do I need to be dragged down by cats who can't even defend themselves from thorns?" She retorted.
Sparrowcloud looked back at the tortoiseshell and white she-cat. "Is being first so important?" She mewed in a low voice. Seedpelt snorted. "Of course. It's not my problem to take care of the weaklings."
Hailbreeze started toward the quarrelling she-cats. "Enough." Turning to Meadowstream, he glanced at her paw. "Go back to camp."
"It's fine really, I just got caught in a bramble tendril," The she-cat mewed, licking her chest. Hailbreeze narrowed his eyes. "Can you stand on it?" Meadowstream shook her head slowly.
"Silverpaw, you help her back to camp. I'll deal with these two." Hailbreeze flicked his tail and turned away. "Do five more laps, back and to Sunningrocks."
Silverpaw let Meadowstream lean on him as they headed back to camp. Seedpelt's outraged yowl wasn't muffled by the tree-length of distance.
Silverpaw purred.
Those two would have a grand old time.
QOTD: Who do you think Screechkit is?